Overview

Balkan endemic nephropathy is a kidney disease that affects people living in rural areas of Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Serbia. Affected individuals develop kidney damage that progresses to kidney failure. Many people with this condition also develop a type of bladder cancer known as upper urothelial carcinoma (UUC) or transitional cell carcinoma. Balkan endemic nephropathy is caused by eating bread that is contaminated with a toxin called aristolochic acid, which comes from a plant called Aristolochia. Balkan endemic nephropathy can occur in multiple family members, but it is not an inherited condition.[1]

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In Depth Information

Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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